MeMe’s Cream Cheese Pound Cake

We made this delicious old-fashioned cake in a bundt pan, which seemed easiest to us. A tube pan or even a loaf pan would work too. It really doesn’t need any topping, but we drizzled it with vanilla icing–fresh sugared berries or peaches would go wonderfully well too...

3 sticks butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese (we used Neufchatel, the lower fat cream cheese)
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
3 Cups flour
1 TB. pure vanilla extract

Icing:
1/2 Cup powdered sugar
1 TB. softened butter
2-3 TB. milk

Whip butter and cream cheese together. Add sugar and beat well on high speed until light and fluffy. Starting with 2 eggs, then 1 cup flour, alternate adding eggs and flour, mixing well between each addition. Add vanilla extract at the end and mix well. Grease and flour a tube or bundt pan, carefully pour in batter. Place in a cold oven. Turn oven on to 340° and bake cake for 11/2 hours. This is a dense, moist cake, so insert a toothpick in the middle to see if the cake is done—it should come out relatively clean. Let cool briefly, carefully turn out of pan. Completely cool before whisking icing ingredients together and drizzling over cake, if desired.

Yield: 16 slices.
Prep time: 10 minutes.
Baking time: 90 minutes.